The South Downs Way
Helpful information for walkers, riders and mountain bikers

South Downs Way Guide

Our Step-by-step guide to the South Downs Way in West Sussex will show you what to look out for on every leg of the journey. The guide has loads of photos and notes on the route and the interesting places you'll pass along the way.

South Downs Way - where to stay

Walkers, horse-rider or cyclist friendly accommodation is noted in our West Sussex bed and breakfast guide, which is as good a place as any if you're looking for places to stay close to the South Downs Way.

South Downs Way Buses

Good places to access the South Downs Way by bus include:

Countryliner
Harting Down, Uppark and Compton. Regular buses from Chichester to Petersfield.
Stagecoach
Cocking. Frequent buses from Bognor and Chichester to Midhurst.
Queen Elizabeth Country Park. Regular buses from Havant to Petersfield.
Compass
Storrington. Regular buses from Ashington to Horsham.
Washington. Regular buses from Horsham to Worthing.
Bury. Daily buses from Chichester to Pulborough
Graffham, Bignor and Sutton. Prebooked buses from Chichester to Petworth.
Upper Beeding, Bramber, Steyning and Washington. Regular buses from Pulborough to Burgess Hill.
Brighton Buses
Steyning. Buses from Brighton and Shoreham. An hourly service.
Devil's Dyke. Buses from Brighton in the summer.
Ditchling Beacon. Buses from Brighton on Sundays in the summer.

Some other bus routes that may help you get to the part of the South Downs Way you are interested in are available from these companies too.

South Downs Way Railways

The best rail access points for the South Downs Way are the stations at Petersfield (Portsmouth to London Waterloo line), Amberley (Portsmouth to London Victoria line) and Hassocks (Brighton to London Waterloo or London Bridge).

Other railway stations which aren't too far away from the route include Chichester, Shoreham-by-Sea and Arundel.

South Downs Way Air Travel

The nearest airports to the South Downs Way are London Gatwick Airport and Southampton Airport.

Some private flights also use Shoreham (Brighton City) Airport, which is only a few miles south of the South Downs Way.

South Downs Way Camping

There's a camping barn at Gumber Bothy, just below Gumber Corner.

South Downs Way Youth Hostels

There's a Youth Hostel on top of Truleigh Hill which is right next to the South Downs Way.

Further afield, there's a youth hostel at Arundel which is a few miles south of the route.

South Downs Way Water

There are water taps at Manor Farm Cocking, near the A24 crossing at Washington, by the Adur crossing near Botolphs and in the village of Fulking, just north of the Shepherd and Dog pub.

South Downs Way Disabled Access

There are several roads which lead up to the top of the South Downs Way, with car parks at the top. Try Kithurst Hill, Chantry Hill, Beeding Hill, Harting Downs, Cocking and Clayton Hill.

Most of the South Downs Way is chalky and rutted, but the sections around these car parks have easier going than some of the more difficult parts of the route.

Further useful info for cycling the South Downs Way

By the way, if you're thinking of cycling the South Down Way, I thoroughly recommend the excellent Bike Downs website which has a cyclists' guide to the South Downs Way - it covers Hampshire and East Sussex too, so it augments this guide for anyone looking to cycle the full 100 miles.

If you're wondering about how to break your journey into manageable chunks, the South Downs Discovery site has some well thought out suggested cycling itineraries along the South Downs Way.

Baggage and South Downs Way

Footprints of Sussex offer a full baggage carriage service for people walking the South Downs Way.

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Places to visit close to the South Downs Way

SOUTH DOWNS WAY - WHERE TO STAY

SOUTH DOWNS WAY - STEP BY STEP

SOUTH DOWNS WAY INFORMATION

WEST SUSSEX TOWNS

STAY INFORMED

SUSSEX INFO

The South Downs WayHelpful information for walkers, riders and mountain bikers